April 3, 2023
Florida has passed a sweeping 6-week abortion ban in which there are exceptions for cases where the life of the mother is threatened, and 15-week extended periods for abortions for which pregnancy came as a result of rape, incest, or human trafficking. S.B. 300 passed in the Senate 26-13, and must be passed by the Florida State House before going to Governor Ron DeSantis’ desk for signing.
The bill, one of the harshest in the nation, comes on the heels of a 15-week abortion ban passed in the 2022 legislative session. It also comes after the Supreme Court rolled back the decision of Roe v. Wade in the summer of 2022. States around the nation have begun enforcing old laws and authoring new laws which would place restrictions, oftentimes severe, on the right of a woman to have an abortion.
Protestors and detractors lined the Florida State Senate gallery as debate continued, being cleared from the gallery following outbursts. One State Senator was quoted as having pointed at the protestors and shouting “You shut up”, while the State Senate President ordered the gallery to be cleared. S.B. 300 was passed behind closed doors with two Republican senators voting in the negative on the bill.
Protestors gathered outside of the Capital to continue protesting the passage of the bill, and were warned by local law enforcement that they could be arrested for trespassing after 8:00pm.
Among those in attendance were Nikki Fried, Chair of the Florida Democratic Party, and the Florida Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book. At 8:22 pm EST, Gary Fineout, a reporter for Politico, posted a video on Twitter of both Fried and Book being arrested at the site of the protests, along with 9 others who refused to move behind barricades. Following the arrests, the Florida Democrats Twitter announced the arrests and indicated that updates would be forthcoming.
At 11:50pm EST, Chair Nikki Fried tweeted that she was released, with an image of her being arrested. The 11 arrested were charged with trespassing after warning, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. It is also worth noting that the arrests were directed by the Democratic mayor of Tallahassee, indicating little tolerance for what the late Congressman John Lewis would call “good trouble”.
The Florida Senate on the same day the abortion bill was being considered. Policy Reform Now file photo
By Paul Wolfe
Policy Reform Now 
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